


3:07 AM

by MissDrarryDawn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, M/M, Pining, becomingfriends, dracoandronarebrotp, fallinginLove, hermioneiswrongforonceinherlife, luciusmalfoyredeemshimself, majorcanondivergence, narcissamalfoyisabossassbitch, nottoobadbutstill, startingsixthyear, summerafterfifthyear, violencewarning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:42:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23259361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissDrarryDawn/pseuds/MissDrarryDawn
Summary: When Malfoy comes banging on the front door of Privet Drive at 3:07 am one night, Harry's summer changes drastically.//Completed//Word count: 12.5k
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger
Comments: 19
Kudos: 291





	3:07 AM

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lovely_drarry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovely_drarry/gifts), [TheReadingWriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheReadingWriter/gifts), [miniminis_ri](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miniminis_ri/gifts), [justtryingmybest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justtryingmybest/gifts).



> this has been an idea i've had for sooo long and im so pleased with myself for finally having finished it! gahhh!  
> i hope you guys enjoy it as much as i did writing it x333333

Harry jumped out of bed when a harsh, brutal rap of knocks echoed from the front door downstairs.

What the actual _fuck?_

He glanced at the clock besides the bed and noted it was 3:07 am. Who the _fuck_ would come visiting the Dursleys at this hour?

When another shrew of knocks came, Harry groaned and hopped out of bed, rushing downstairs to tell whoever it is to fuck off before they woke up the family of hellhounds. And anyways, he _really_ didn't need this right now, in the middle of the first summer since Sirius's death. All he wanted was to get some rest and grieve his godfather in peace before entering his sixth year and facing whatever deathtrap Voldemort's set up for him next.

As Harry was thinking this, he stumbled down to the front door in just his pyjamas, and yanked it open harshly, stopping entirely short in the second it took his mind to catch up to his eyes.

Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.

_Draco Malfoy was standing at his front step._

_At Privet Drive._

And not only was Malfoy at his front door, he looked like death warmed over. He was shaking like a leaf, his eyes were wide and teary and he was ashen faced. 

Before Harry could even stutter out a surprised _'huh',_ Malfoy was already sputtering in a broken, panicked, terrifyingly shaky voice:

"Potter! Please--my mother--they tried to--but she didn't--and they're gonna--and there's no one else--oh _God_ , help me--"

Harry had not a _clue_ what the bloody hell was going on, but he wasn't going to get anything out of Malfoy if he kept panicking and huffing so Harry grabbed his shoulders and shook him:

"Malfoy!" He hissed under his breath. His voice softened then: "You're hyperventilating. I need you to calm down, c'mon, take a deep breath in through your nose, hold it for three seconds then exhale through your mouth. You can do it."

Malfoy blinked dumbly at him for a moment, then did as he was told. When he was done, he looked considerably more composed than earlier.

"Right. Now tell me properly, what the bloody hell happened?" Harry prompted, letting his arms drop away from Malfoy's shoulders.

Malfoy cleared his throat and looked somewhere over Harry's left shoulder as he spoke:

"The Dark Lord...he wanted me to take the.." He trailed off, but Harry felt a stone drop in his stomach all the same. "But my mother...stunned the others and cast a spell that created a doorway. She shoved me through and it spat me out a street away from here.."

Oh _fuck._ Oh _no._

Harry blanched, allowed himself a moment to think this through. He was sure Malfoy's parents weren't killed, they were far too valuable to Voldemort to die. He'd likely torture them for information on their son's whereabouts, and _then_ kill them once he got it. Even that made a shiver pass through Harry. Christ he was _mad_ for considering helping Malfoy, the guy was a complete and utter prat. But at the same time, Harry couldn't bloody well turn him away either. Malfoy wouldn't have come to Harry unless he was absolutely desperate, and considering it were his parents' lives on the line, that wasn't too far fetched a conclusion to draw.

With a deep, suicidal sigh, Harry faced Malfoy:

"Right. Let's go then." He just about caught the stupefied expression on Malfoy's face as he turned away to stalk back into the house, gesturing for Malfoy to follow him in. He did. Harry lead them to a locked wardrobe:

"Alohomora this." He pointed at it and Malfoy obeyed without complaint, his wand hand trembling slightly still.

As soon as the doors creaked open, Harry dove in to rummage through his trunk. As he pulled things from it he passed them to Malfoy, who was still not saying a word. He got his broom, wand and cloak and snapped the doors shut.

"Potter I--" Malfoy started to say something, but his words died on his lips.

Harry just shook his head and lead Malfoy out the backdoor into the back garden, unshrunk his broom and hopped on it. 

"Sit in front and steer towards the Manor. I'm fairly certain your parents don't have much time to spare." Harry directed and Malfoy paled another shade before getting on the broom in front of Harry and kicking off high. "Make sure no Muggles see us, I'm not going to Azkaban for breaking the Statute of Secrecy." Harry scolded, just for something scornful to say. He felt as if he _should_ have put up way more fuss than he had, felt as though he _should've_ been harder to convince. Then he felt horrible for even thinking that, as a life was a life, no matter who it belonged to. And he knew he could never live with himself if he let another person be orphaned when he had the means to do something about it. Malfoy or not, in the end, Harry found it didn't matter. He'd have done the same for anyone.

Yet, he still couldn't quite believe he was doing this. He still felt detached from the experience, outsider looking in at the situation. He was going with Malfoy to rescue his parents. He was going to a lair of Death Eaters. To Voldemort.

_Merlin, they were screwed._

~

"Do you think they're..." Malfoy's voice was cut and bitten in the wind whipping around them as they flew, but Harry could understand him perfectly well. He leaned forwards so that the other would hear him:

"No, I don't think he's killed them. He needs them, first and foremost to get to you, as well as other obligations. But he will, once he gets what he wants." Harry replied as calmly as he could. Malfoy grew tense and seemingly unaware of himself, sped up. "That's why we'll get there first Malfoy." Harry muttered, laying a palm over the other's shoulder.

"How can you be so sure?" Malfoy muttered, glancing back at Harry.

Harry grinned:

"I'm sure."

Harry was astounded, when Malfoy managed a smile back, as if he completely trusted Harry, but his nerves eased at it all the same.

~

They didn't speak much more in the two or so hours it had taken to fly overhead the Malfoy Manor and land a safe distance away from the wards.

It was only when Harry's feet were on solid ground again that the weight of the situation hit him in its grappling entirety. It was all well and good in theory back in Surrey, then up in the air, but another matter entirely when they were crouched behind a copse of trees and bushes on the Malfoy grounds, the house looming above them.

No turning back now.

A plan. They needed a plan. The house was huge _and_ teeming with Death Eaters, _as well as_ Voldemort himself. There was no way either of them could know where Voldemort kept Narcissa and Lucius, and something else worth considering was how heightened the wards and security would be since Malfoy's escape. There was no way they could force their way through, and it was even less likely they'd all get out alive.

Considering all of that, Harry realized there was likely only one way to get the Malfoys out of here.

He hated that he was considering it at all, but looking at Malfoy now, frail and terrified, he couldn't give up. They'd gotten this far, they might as well go all the way.

After all, Harry was the Boy-Who-Lived, he'd be fine. He always was. He hoped.

With a deep breath to center himself, he took off his glasses and dropped them to the ground, stomped on them once to snap the lenses then picked them up and put them back on, all to Malfoy's complete bewilderment.

"Potter--what are you--?"

Harry paid him no mind, and pulled his wand out, aimed it at himself and cast a _Diffindo_ across his cheek and lip, hissing in pain when two cuts opened and began to bleed. Then he cast a very mild, focused Stinging hex to his forehead, flinching when his skin burned hot for a moment, then grew red and tender. 

"Potter, seriously, what the fuck?" Malfoy was now insisting.

Harry took another deep breath and gripped his wand tighter for just a second longer, then pushed it into Malfoy's hands.

"Take my wand." He proffered his wrists to the blonde. "Incarcerous me." 

"What? Why?" Malfoy was shaking his head.

"Just do it Malfoy." Harry bit impatiently, a strong pump of anxiety roiling through him.

Malfoy did.

It was only then that Harry finally looked him in the eyes and told him the plan:

"You're going to trade me for your parents."

~

 _"What?!"_ Malfoy whisper yelled, barely catching his outraged voice in time. "Have you _lost your bloody mind?!"_

Harry sighed:

"Malfoy we can't take all of them at once. Bellatrix is in there, Grayback, so many others, not to mention _Voldemort_ himself. We've _no_ idea where he might be keeping Narcissa and Lucius. Security must be heightened since you got out, we have no chance of getting them out."

Malfoy opened his mouth to protest, but Harry cut him off:

"We need to be tactical about this. Voldemort wants me, so you'll deliver me to him, in exchange for your and your parents's lives and freedom. That's the only way anyone's getting out alive."

"What about you? I'm not bloody leaving you here with that--that _thing!"_ Malfoy hissed again, looking torn and desperate and panicked all at once.

"You'll have to. I'll be fine, Malfoy." Harry weakly attempted, though he doubted those words himself.

"No you _won't_ be _._ He'll _kill_ you, Potter, as soon as he gets his hands on you!" Malfoy countered. "I can't let you--I can't just give you up to _die_ , you dumb bastard." He drew himself up. "I _won't."_

Harry chuckled morosely:

"I can escape Malfoy. I've done it countless times now, I'll be fine, but your parents won't be if we keep wasting time. We came here to get them out, and that's what we're gonna do. Doesn't matter how."

Malfoy looked wholly indignant:

"But--"

"Do you have a better idea?" Harry hissed under his breath and knelt down to collect his cloak from the ground with his bound hands.

Malfoy fell drearily silent.

"Thought so. Toss the cloak over the both of us and go, don't worry about the wards, the Invisibility cloak makes us invisible to detection."

Malfoy accepted the cloak when Harry straightened up, but his face was twisted with clear disdain. 

"Keep my wand with you, don't bloody lose it, I expect you to return it to me one day. You're gonna march me in, your wand to my neck and threaten to Avada me yourself unless Voldemort accepts the barter. Once you get your parents, get as far away from here as you possibly can."

"But Potter, _please_ , there's got to be another way--" Malfoy tried one last feeble time. "I don't want you to die..." He admitted, voice tapering off into a whisper.

Harry shook his head:

"I won't. I'll get out, you'll see. Come on then, chin up, shoulders back, back straight, be a true Malfoy, let's get this over with."

Malfoy stared at him beseechingly for a couple of seconds before taking a deep breath and shuttering his face into a mask of indifference. 

He grabbed Harry and drew the cloak around them.

"Scared, Potter?" He murmured on a shaky exhale and Harry snickered quietly:

"You wish, Malfoy."

~

Harry took a deep breath as they slipped through the many pressing wards undetected. They waited by the front doors, until they slammed open and Grayback and his buddies sauntered out, leaving the doors gaping open behind them. 

_Perfect._

Malfoy walked him forwards and through, maneuvering his way through the halls on instinct alone, until they were in the grand, spacious room where Voldemort presided with Bellatrix by his feet like a _dog._

"Now." Harry muttered to Malfoy, who steeled himself and yanked the cloak off, leaving them visible to everyone in the room.

An eruption of gasps echoed as all the Death Eaters drew their wands, though none cast anything, seeing as Malfoy's wand was pressed to Harry's neck, just like they'd planned. Voldemort stood, red eyes flashing with hatred, and Harry swallowed an onslaught of terror. 

"I've captured Harry Potter." Malfoy announced to the room and pulled up Harry's fringe, to flash his scar to everyone. "I'm willing to hand him over." He continued, voice calm and collected, a feat Harry was frankly proud of him for accomplishing. "On one condition." He finished.

"You _foolish_ boy, you think you can _barter_ with the Dark Lord?" Bella screeched in outrage and was just about to launch forwards when Voldemort held up a hand to still her:

"Let's hear what young Draco here has to say first, Bella. This evening has developed in a most peculiar manner, I do wish to see it through to its end." 

His snakelike hiss sent shivers up Harry's spine, who pretended to struggle for a moment, going limp when Malfoy pushed his wand harder into his skin:

"I want my parents and myself alive and free in exchange for delivering you Harry Potter. Otherwise I'll just kill him right here right now." Malfoy raised his chin defiantly. His eyes flashed.

Bellatrix laughed loud and insane:

"You don't have the _guts."_

Malfoy didn't miss a beat:

"Avada Ke--"

"STOP!" Voldemort screeched, a look of true panic overcoming him at the mere thought of not getting to kill Harry himself. 

Harry really wanted to roll his eyes and also congratulate Malfoy for the bold yet deadly bluff. It was all a mess really, but Malfoy was doing amazing, all things considered.

"Alright, Draco. It seems you are not as weak and folly as it had appeared earlier." Voldemort sneered then turned to his cronies: "Bring out Lucius and Narcissa." He murmured.

Harry slumped a little. It had worked. He gently elbowed Malfoy to remind him to keep it together when they bring out his parents, but otherwise didn't move a muscle.

After a tense, glowering silence, Narcissa and Malfoy were marched into the room, shackled and shaken, looking just as distraught as Malfoy had when he'd first pounded on Harry's door.

Narcissa went ashen when she saw her son with Harry Potter, Lucius's face mirroring his wife's, though they both knew better than to say anything.

"It seems your son has come here with a wager for me." Voldemort spoke to them, sounding cold and indifferent. "A wager I'm afraid I can not turn down." 

Yes, that's good. Well, it _was_ good, depending upon which angle you looked at it from.

Voldemort aimed a lazy spell that unshackled the Malfoys and sent them forwards towards their son.

"Now, give me Harry Potter." Voldemort's grin turned predatory, feral, and Harry felt his legs go wooden. 

Malfoy wasn't letting go of him either. 

His grip on Harry was ironclad, as if he couldn't bear to let go, to do this. Harry nudged him to remind him it _had_ to be done and jerked himself forwards, wrenching himself from Malfoy's grasp and pretending to have been pushed.

"Go, right now." He urgently hissed as he made a show of struggling against the Death Eaters already grabbing him.

Lucius and Narcissa grabbed one of their son's arms each and practically dragged him out, while his gaze remained glued to Harry. As soon as they were past the wards, Harry saw them Disapparate, saw the doors close behind them, and gave up struggling.

Come what may now.

~

When the faint sickness of Apparation passed, Draco realized his parents had Apparated them into Diagon Alley, in front of an old, dusty all night open pub. They marched in and picked a table shoved into the farthest corner, warding it to heavens, so that no one would take any note of them.

Draco was still trembling, he couldn't get the image of Harry getting apprehended by those Death Eaters out of his head. He couldn't believe Harry had done that for him. Hell, he hadn't even noticed when he'd started thinking of _Potter_ as _Harry._

"Draco--what you've done was incredibly _dangerous-"_ Narcissa broke the heavy silence and Draco dazedly turned to stare at her.

"You could've gotten killed son." Lucius snapped, voice more frantic than he likely would have wanted.

Draco took a deep breath:

"Well I didn't. I had Potter with me." 

"What makes you think he'd have done _anything_ to help you?" Lucius drawled.

Draco seethed for a tick, before getting a hold of himself:

"I ended up in the area he lives in and went pounding on his door in the dead of night like a manic lunatic, terrified out of my mind, and he opened. He calmed me down and came with me without a single utter of complaint."

His face threatened to twitch into a sneer, but he reigned himself in. It would do no good to direct that at his father. Instead he kept talking:

"It was his idea. All of it. To give himself up for you two. He came up with the idiotic plan and now he's probably--" Draco cut himself off on a ragged exhale, feeling zero desire whatsoever to finish that sentence.

Both his mother and father looked appropriately shocked to hear that, though Lucius recovered quicker:

"Potter made his choice Draco. It is not your fault." He spoke somberly, calm as ever, as if he was wholly unaffected.

Draco flared up, eyes growing cold on his father:

"How _dare_ you?" He spat, the stirrings of anger rising high. "That _boy_ likely gave his _life_ to save yours and _that's_ all you have to say?"

Narcissa sucked in a harsh breath when Lucius flinched away from his son's tone. His mother laid a palm on his arm:

"Draco, darling, Lucius wasn't thinking properly when he'd spoken." She directed a sharp glare to her husband. "Of course we are in Mr.Potter's debt for saving our lives, and yours too."

Lucius withered beneath his wife's scolding, though he kept his chin stubbornly jutted up:

"As loathe as I am to owe that insolent, prideful brat anything, your mother makes a valid point." 

Draco scowled. His father had _no_ right to call anyone an insolent, prideful brat, let alone Harry. Not now at least, not anymore. Many vengeful words burned at the tip of his tongue, but he folded them back, gritting his jaw firmly. 

"Coward though he is, I suppose we must repay him." Lucius continued, and that one sentence managed to snap that tiny modicum of self control Draco had been gripping to. He was far too terrified for Harry's life, far too grateful to him to let _anyone,_ even his father, speak low of him right now.

"You've no right to call _anyone_ a coward. You bribe and lie and weasel to escape the consequences of your actions and bow before a madman because you're too bloody _scared_ to stand up for your family. Need I remind you what had almost happened to me, had my mother not been there? What I'd nearly become? What _you'd_ have let him turn me into?" His voice rose, and he was grateful for all the many wards around them.

Lucius's face crumpled, but Draco wasn't done:

"Harry had done more for me in this one night than you have my entire life. You just _stood_ by and _watched_ it all _burn."_

Narcissa had gone chalk white, looking even more distressed than Lucius himself, who had never experienced his son talking back to him. 

Draco scowled and stood up:

"Go into hiding. I have to go back for him. I can't leave him behind. I'll contact you as soon as I am able." 

Narcissa immediately stood with him, grabbing his forearm tightly:

"Draco, _no._ You mustn't go back there _alone_ , you'll get killed." 

Draco pulled his mother in for a hug. He was so grateful to have her by his side with a father like Lucius:

"Don't worry, mom, I won't be alone." He promised her and drew away. 

She searched his face with wide eyes filled with concern, but knew she couldn't dissuade him, so she let him go with a heavy heart. 

Without sparing a glance to his father, Draco cracked the wards around their table and made for the Floo.

He grabbed a handful of powder and stepped in:

"The Burrow."

_~_

When he stumbled out of the floo, coughing, Draco found he had caused quite a commotion, seeing as the entire Weasley clan was gathered around the fireplace, staring at him as if they'd never seen him before. For a moment, all he could see was red, but then he composed himself:

"Weasley--" He realized how incredibly vague that was as he'd spoken it. "Ronald Weasley, I need your help." He announced as he straightened up.

"What the actual bloody fuck Malfoy? How the hell did you get into my house?" Ronald stepped forward, drawing his wand.

"Via the Floo. Listen, there's really no time to waste, Harry's life is in grave danger, and you have to come with me--" 

"Malfoy, what the bloody hell are you blathering on about? Since when do you call Harry 'Harry'?" Weasley cut him off, still looking just as ugly and disconcerted as ever, his entire family wearing much the same expressions.

Draco rolled his eyes as subtly as he was able:

"Harry Potter's life is in grave danger and I need your help to try to save him. You're his best friend, why else do you think I came here?" He repeated slowly, enunciating each word.

Weasley still stared at him as if he'd lost his marbles.

"Weasley _please_ he could _die--"_ Draco urged, distinctly feeling the seconds sliding down his back.

"Ronald, snap out of it. Didn't you hear Malfoy? Harry's in danger." The Weaslette piped in and rounded on her brother. Draco decided he could grow to like her.

 _"Why_ should I trust what Malfoy says? He hates Harry, he likely put Harry in danger himself!" Ronald defended, throwing his arms out.

"Ron, would I be here right here right now if I were lying?" Draco cut in. This was ridiculous.

Ron opened his mouth to answer, but seemed thrown off by so many parts of the sentence he wasn't sure which to respond to first. Draco sighed and pulled out Harry's wand from where he'd tucked it away.

"Is this proof enough?" He muttered crossly, holding it out. 

Ron's eyes widened and he immediately nodded and whirled around to grab his own wand. 

_Finally._

Draco safely tucked Harry's wand away once more and called out to Ron:

"Grab your wand and two brooms and I'll tell you on the way to get Granger, but get it moving already. If Harry dies while I'm here convincing you to come with, Merlin save you from me." Draco rushed and spurred Ron into action, the rest of his family seemingly congruent with the plot, which sped things along significantly.

In just a few minutes they were up in the air, soaring through the rapidly dwindling night to get to Granger's house quicker.

"Now, talk." Ron barked after a few minutes and Draco looked down to where his hands were gripping the broom.

He didn't really want to tell Ronald Weasley any of it, but he supposed it was a necessary evil given the situation.

So he told him everything.

When he finished, there was an absolute silence, though it only stretched for a couple of seconds, before Ron broke it:

"Okay Malfoy."

Draco blinked:

"Okay? Is that...all you have to say?"

Ron shrugged:

"Yes. What else would there be?" 

It was Draco's turn to shrug:

"I don't know, I expected you to react... _differently_ , let's say."

Ron just nodded as he steered their course:

"Of course you did. But you haven't become a Death Eater, your parents are fine, your mother is apparently incredible and Harry is a huge, brainless, bloody idiot. What else is new?"

Draco stifled an inelegant snort and shook his head.

"Indeed." He conceded the point after a moment nevertheless.

~

"Just let me do the talking." Ron instructed when they landed in front of Granger's house. Draco rolled his eyes and waved the ginger on.

He went up to the door and pounded on it. A moment later, Granger opened, looking disheveled and groggy, though she sobered up immediately upon finding Ron at her front door, and consequently Draco behind him.

"What..." She managed before Ron explained the situation.

When he was done, it took the girl all of a few minutes to comprehend it all:

"Right. I don't really have a broom, I don't usually ride.." She bit her lip.

"Just ride with Ron, you'll be fine." Draco waved it off, not really realizing why something like that would pose a problem.

Until he took note of both their reactions.

Granger was admittedly much more subtle than Ronald, but it was there.

The flush. The hitch of breath.

Oh. _Oh._

Oh this was _good._

Granger reluctantly got on behind Ron, tentatively holding onto him. They both squirmed uncomfortably.

"Really Weasley?" Draco snicked with a wolfish grin, he couldn't help himself. He twitched his brow in Granger's direction and Ron just gave him a dark glare:

"Shut up."

~

"So how are we going to do this?" Granger asked as they hovered around the Manor, covered with Disillusionment charms.

Ron swerved as close to the wards as he dared, trying to peer into the Manor. He strategized outloud:

"The wards are weakest on the south side, because of all the woods and foliage, it'd make it very difficult to sneak up without being heard or caught, so I suppose they figured they didn't need to lay it on as thick."

Draco blinked, cast a curious glance to Granger, who smiled proudly:

"Chess champion." She simply stated and Draco just nodded, accepting the point.

Ron went on as if nothing's been said at all:

"Since the wards are thinnest there, we have the best chance of peeling them away without disturbing the inlaid detection charms if we're careful. Any way in from the southern side, Malfoy?" He turned to Draco, eyes blazing.

Draco nodded and explained about the doorway leading into a secluded little den where most of the family heirlooms were stowed away.

"Brilliant. Hermione, give me your hairpin." Ron held out a hand, and Granger furrowed her brows, before reaching up and pulling two out of her hair and placed them in his hand.

"Where did you learn to pick a lock the Muggle way Ron?" She asked, genuinely curious as they rounded to the southern side of the Manor and landed in the brush.

Ron glanced at Draco for a tense moment:

"Harry taught me." He simply replied. 

"But where did he--?" She mused and Ron pressed his lips into a thin line:

"He'd steal his aunt's hairpins and use them to pick the lock on his cupboard at night to get out a bit."

Draco blanched:

"What?" He muttered before he could think better of it.

Ron and Granger turned to stare at him with forlorn expressions, until Ron turned away to disarm the wards and Granger explained hesitantly:

"Harry's relatives, they don't like...magic, they don't like _him.._.they used to lock him in a cupboard until he went to Hogwarts.."

Draco stilled at the words. He was speechless, didn't know how to feel. Didn't know if he had the right to feel angry at all. It had only been yesterday that he disliked Harry, didn't want to have anything to do with him while wanting absolutely everything to have to do with him at the same time, and _now_ he was here, worried Harry might be dead, working with his best friends to try to save him, angry to hear he'd been mistreated when he was little—already considering him a _friend._

Though, he supposed, when someone saves your parents, it's quite difficult to keep hating them.

"Merlin Granger, how have you kept it together with him all this time?" Draco couldn't help but ask. From the stories he'd heard and, well, seen, considering how much time he invested in staring, Harry's day-to-day was incredibly hectic.

"We sort of just do what you did just now, improvise and hope for the best. Yeah, rarely is it that we actually plan anything, and if we do, Harry usually ends up botching it somehow." She shrugged and Ron snorted as he unlayered the wardswork.

"Don't speak too soon, Mione, remember second year? It wasn't Harry that botched that one."

Granger huffed indignantly, and crossed her arms over her chest:

"How was I to know?"

"Wait, wait, what are you on about?" Draco stared at them. As far as he knew nothing much happened in second year. Well, okay, there was the whole _Chamber of Secrets_ thing, but asides from that.

Granger snorted:

"In our second year Harry was _convinced_ you were the Heir of Slytherin so he made me brew him Polyjuice in the lavatory. He and Ron impersonated Crabbe and Goyle to question you."

Draco stared blankly at her, and she stifled her chuckles:

"Your face was priceless. _I didn't know you could read."_

Jesus Merlin. That was--The blonde couldn't help but smile:

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard someone do. Harry seriously has strange ways to seek attention."

Ronald threw his head back and soundlessly laughed as he finished off a doorway in the wards with a flourish:

"Because climbing trees is any less strange."

Draco flushed and sputtered, but Granger just snickered and patted him on the back before drawing her wand.

As they slipped through the ward opening, their light humor died.

Draco carefully felt along the wall to find the doorway, and lead Ron to it. The ginger knelt down and jammed a hairpin into the lock, fiddled with it until a soft click gave way.

"Why didn't we just Alohomora it?" Draco mused as Ron pushed the door open cautiously.

"Because the charms and magic within the initial wards would have detected it." Granger answered, her wand trained in front of her.

They emerged into a small cramped den, dimly lit by the streak of light falling through the narrow doorway from the hall. 

Right. They were in.

Now they just had to find Harry.

~

Harry refused to scream.

He wouldn't give the scum the satisfaction.

Even as he was whipped viciously by Bellatrix. Each strike of her barbed whip against his raw, broken skin sent a stagger of pain flashing through him, but he wouldn't let out a peep. 

Not even when they poured vinegar down his open wounds.

Not even when Nagini coiled around him, constricting until she snapped a rib.

Not even when he was chained to a cold wall and branded with an iron hot stampthat read _'freak'._

No, Harry didn't scream then.

Harry screamed when Grayback walked in, a sick smile on his face, with a brass box in his hands and lifted the lid to reveal James and Lily's severed heads inside it.

~

Draco, Ron and Hermione all simultaneously froze as a distinctly familiar scream echoed through the Manor.

Oh _no._ Draco damn well nearly made to run towards the source of the bloodcurdling cries when an overwhelming panic seized him, but Ron grabbed his arm while Hermione shook and covered her ears.

"He's alive." Ron muttered, though it was little comfort.

"And they're doing who knows what to him!" Draco countered, tugging his arm away.

"Malfoy." Ron leveled him with a serious look. "We'll get him out." He sounded painfully sincere, and completely determined. His eyes were blazing.

And Draco trusted him.

He nodded curtly.

"What do we do now?" He asked, marginally more calm, though not by much.

"Now we play dirty." Hermione announced, eyes going dark with grim intent.

Ron and Draco nodded in agreement, though they weren't sure what her plan was, and Hermione pulled out her wand, aimed it at a vase propped on a stand down the hall and sent a _Reducto_ at it, effectively shattering it into a million pieces and causing a great snap and crash of ceramic cracking violently. 

They ducked into the shadows as five Death Eaters flew out into the hallway from various rooms to find out what happened. They pulled their wands and made down the hallway, disappearing into a large room just at the end of it. 

Hermione smirked victoriously, flicked her wand upwards and muttered an incantation under her breath:

_"Voco Umbra."_

Ron was stunned when a littany of dark, sinewy shadows sprung from the tip of her wand and scattered with howls down the hall and disappeared through the cracks on the walls and between doors. 

"That's...that's dark magic.." The ginger murmured, but Hermione gave him an arched look:

"Yes, it is. Your point?"

Ron shut his gob. Draco was impressed.

It wasn't a moment later that Death Eaters were crawling out of the woodwork of the Manor, all tripping over themselves as they rushed to the same room that all the howling and commotion seemed to be taking place in. They could hear arguing over what shattered the vase and what the bleeding hell was creeping through the house, but Hermione twirled her wand a final time and murmured yet another spell:

_"In Cincinno Mutilato."_

The doors to the room shut and locked, the wood shimmering. They heard someone bang on them from inside, then scream in pain.

"What the--?" Draco murmured, but Hermione tucked her wand away and spoke evenly:

"Why should Harry be the only one screaming?" 

She stepped out from the shadows and headed down the hall to the room they'd heard Harry from.

"I...I can see why you like her." Draco muttered to Ron, shellshocked by that entire display.

Ron only managed to nod as they made to follow.

~

As they made their way into the room where Harry was chained to a wall, they were relieved to find it bereft of Death Eaters.

Horrified to find Harry though.

He looked damn near dead, shackled and hurt. His head was limply hanging between his shoulder blades, he wasn't responsive, and Draco was on the verge of tears.

As Ron went to cast a spell to free the shackles, Draco grabbed his wand arm at the last second:

"Wait no!" He urgently muttered, snapping out of the whorl of emotions that overtook him at first. Ron startled and flinched back. "Those aren't ordinary chains, if you cast a spell they just squeeze him tighter." Draco explained.

"Right, can you get them open then?" Ron asked, putting his own wand away.

Draco stared at them and thought about it for a moment. He needed a way to reverse the charms inlaid into the chains, to loosen when a spell is cast on them instead of tightening. How though...?

He gripped his wand and took a deep breath to center himself. He aimed:

_"N'efu."_

Light fizzled from the tip of his wand and sunk into the chains, but nothing happened. That wasn't right...? The spell...the spell should have turned blue, not...What?

"Well?" Ron urged, and Draco faltered.

"It...it isn't working..I..I don't—"

"These chains are different, son." A third voice made the three of them jump out of their skin and turn their wands on...Lucius Malfoy. 

"Father?" Draco blinked and lowered his wand. Narcissa stepped out from behind her husband and gasped when she saw the state Harry was in.

"Every father should remember that his son will one day follow his example, not his advice." Lucius' voice was quiet. "I haven't been a very good example." He admitted, dropping his eyes to the floor. "It's time I changed that, come hell or highwater."

Draco was speechless, he felt floored. And proud. And grateful.

He managed to nod, and even smile.

Lucius and Narcissa joined hands and stepped in front of the shackles, each pointing their wands to each sides of the chain wrought around Harry.

They murmured something, and the shackles released, Harry toppling down like a ragdoll. Draco lurched forwards and managed to catch him somewhat awkwardly before he crashed to the floor.

Hermione was upon them in an instant, fluttering and fussing over Harry and all his injuries, looking frantic.

Narcissa placed a warm hand on her shoulder:

"Miss Granger, we must get out of here first, there'll be plenty of time to tend to Mr.Potter then." Her voice was soft.

Hermione whipped around and stared at the woman, unable to believe it for a moment before the words filtered through and she acquiesced. 

Draco clutched Harry close to him as they all crept out of the room, Lucius and Narcissa at the front. The two lead them to a wall that had a gaping hole opened in it, revealing a tunnel Draco had never really known of before. He knew all old magical homes had these little passageways because everyone was paranoid in those days, but he wasn't really too aware of them in his own home.

There was no time to ponder that though as they all stepped in, Lucius closing the tunnel up behind them. They were bathed in darkness until Ron cast a Lumos and fell into step besides Draco.

"Dare I ask what was that with your dad all about?" He murmured quietly and Draco sighed:

"I yelled at him after we got out." He offered by way of vague explanation. 

Ron, to Draco's surprise, snorted, seemingly amused:

 _"Mr. My—Father—Will—Hear—About—This,_ I can't believe it. I'm proud of you Malfoy."

Draco rolled his eyes and scoffed, refusing to feel pleased:

"Ha-Ha."

~

After sneaking out into the back gardens through the tunnel, Draco and Ron summoned their brooms.

"What will you do now?" Draco asked his parents.

"We'll move into one of our smaller estates in France for a few months, since the Dark Lord will surely hunt us after this. Are you coming with us?" Narcissa murmured.

Draco hesitated, but Ron spared him the trouble:

"He'll stay with us, if that's alright with you Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy."

"We'll take good care of him." Hermione added. 

Draco gaped at them. He felt thrown, hadn't been expecting that. Sure they were more or less on good terms now, but he didn't feel he quite earned such a luxury just yet.

Narcissa managed to smile, and Lucius nodded in approval:

"We trust that you will. Keep in touch Draco." Lucius instructed, his parents embraced him once more before Narcissa dug a Portkey out of her robes and her and her husband disappeared.

"Are you..sure?" Draco asked Ron as they mounted their brooms and kicked off, eager to get as far away from here as possible before the Death Eaters figured everything out.

"Are you kidding me Malfoy?" Ron scoffed, gave him a flat look. "You went back for Harry, despite not having to do squat. Came to get us, even though you knew what you were risking."

Draco looked away, feeling awfully embarrassed all of a sudden. He stared down at Harry's sullen face in his arms, and swallowed a lump.

"I owed him that much." He informed his two companions.

"But you didn't have to do anything. You had your parents, could've run. It was none of your business anymore. And yet." Hermione hummed from where she sat behind Ron.

Draco merely shrugged in response. He couldn't of left Harry behind.

~

Molly Weasley was out of her mind with worry when they all returned to the Burrow, and nearly dropped in a dead feint when she saw what state Harry was in. The states they were all in.

Thankfully, Harry's injuries didn't require an official trip to Mungo's, that was a scandal no one was prepared to deal with, as Arthur had knowledge on how to mend most of his injuries, including his broken rib.

They healed him best they could, and left him to rest.

Dawn was rising.

Draco couldn't believe how much his life had changed in the span of a single night. Couldn't believe he'd be fretting over Harry Potter, while sitting with the Weasleys in their home and being fussed over like a kid who'd scraped his knee.

Not to say he wasn't grateful, everything just felt so surreal.

~

Draco had repeatedly tried to get out of the Weasleys' hair, he felt bad intruding upon their space, but every time he so much as mentioned it, Molly would give him such a withering glare that he'd shrink three sizes.

"Mom's terrifying when she's intent on taking care of someone." Ginerva informed him when she happened to walk in on that conversation once.

"Yes. Molly Weasley could easily scare my father, what chance do I stand?" He readily agreed.

"Ron's been telling us how for all your big talk, you were scared shitless for Harry." She arched an eyebrow and Draco bit the inside of his cheek and rolled his eyes:

"Your brother is a dirty fucking liar."

"Am I now Malfoy?" Ronald sauntered into the room. "If I recall correctly, when you came to get me you said, and I quote, _'If Harry dies while I'm here convincing you to come with, Merlin save you from me.'_ That sounds pretty scared shitless to me."

Hermione snickered from behind and sat down next to Draco and Ginny on the floor, tilting her head to the side as she looked up at Ron, and spoke in the sweetest tone possible:

"You're one to talk, you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon."

Ronald sputtered indignantly and Draco laughed and nudged Hermione with his shoulder:

"You. I like you." He murmured.

"Well, I suppose you aren't the worst person I've ever met either." She conceded with an amused grin.

Draco chuckled:

"Hey I'll take it, it's the best I'm likely to get anyways."

Ginerva snorted and shook her head:

"Oh! Malfoy! I always wanted to ask you something."

Draco turned to her, and dreaded the evil grin on her face:

"Ask..." He hesitantly muttered.

"What did it feel like to be so completely and utterly rejected in front of everyone?" 

Draco was confused, but everyone else seemed to get the memo, seeing as how they were all chuckling into their hands.

"What are you--?" And then it hit him. _Oh that little-_ -He scowled deeply at her, while she laughed:

"Oh ha-ha, how _funny."_ He rolled his eyes, then sighed. "I admit, I could've went about it a bit better, but I did genuinely want to be friends with him."

"A _bit_ better? That's an understatement." Ron rolled his eyes, leaned on the doorframe, looking far too casual.

Draco dropped his head into his knees:

"Leave me alone, I was eleven! What better did I know?"

Hermione hummed:

"To be fair, Harry did want to shake your hand."

Draco froze. 

_"What?"_

"Yeah, he wanted to, he told me later. He didn't because he didn't like that you insulted Ron, but he wanted to make friends in the Magical world. When he first saw you at Madam Malkin's, he thought you were a cute kid. If you ever tell him I told you that, he'll have my head, so you better keep your mouth shut Draco or so help me, you'll get a lot more than a broken nose."

Draco snorted and took a moment to process all of this. He felt oddly flattered and sort of flushed too, which was totally misplaced, but there was nothing to be done for it, he supposed.

"Sure, your secret's safe with me Granger." He assured.

~

It was another week yet before one of the Weasley twins, Draco wasn't sure how to tell them apart yet, came running and whooping to him and grabbed him rather roughly. Before he could so much as utter a protest he hauled him off into the room where Harry was set up and shut the door behind him. Draco turned around and froze on the spot when he saw Harry sitting up, staring at him with the most beautiful green eyes Draco had ever laid eyes upon. 

He was awake.

He was fucking awake.

"Hi Malfoy." Harry greeted and rubbed his eyes, reached for his glasses.

"You're awake." Draco stated by way of greeting, feeling a bit stupefied and awkward and unsure what to really do or say now.

"Yes, it would appear so." Harry nodded indulgently. "What happened?"

Draco looked away and fidgeted on the spot. 

"I couldn't just leave you, so uhm, I went to get Ron and Hermione and we got you out." 

Harry tilted his head and seemed to smile:

"And your parents?"

"They're fine. They've gone to France." Draco replied, still standing by the door like a berk.

"Good. It was all worth it then." Harry concluded.

Draco just nodded. There were many things he wanted to say, but couldn't really find a way to say any of them.

"Thank you. Really." He started off simple.

Harry just shrugged:

"Would've done it for anyone."

"Yes, of course, noble twit that you are." Draco chided softly, and Harry snorted, took it in good humour.

"And I'm sorry. For everything." 

Harry ran a hand through his hair and hummed:

"Yes, I know you are. You wouldn't of come back for me if you weren't."

Anything Draco might've replied was cut off by Molly barreling in, the door missing him by inches when it swung open. Behind her were all of the other occupants of the Burrow, who huddled around Harry.

Draco couldn't help but smile as he watched from the few feet distance he was standing at.

It had been a wonky week, growing accustomed to the Weasleys and their odd ways, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't enjoyed it. 

He didn't know what he'd do for the rest of summer though, he didn't really want to intrude upon the Weasleys' space anymore than he already had, but he didn't really have much else to go at this point. He didn't fancy going all the way to France to stay with his parents, but he just might have to do that in the end.

"You're brooding Malfoy." Ronald snapped him out of it by waving a hand in front of his face.

"I am _not."_ Draco vehemently denied and sighed a bit. Everything in his life was upended from the roots up, and even though it was for the better, he was still anxious about what to do next.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but what's wrong?" Ron seemed very annoyed with himself for caring enough to ask, which made Draco chuckle.

"Nothing's wrong, it's just that I don't really think I should spend the entire summer here." He leaned in to murmur to Ronald, so Molly wouldn't overhear and chew his head off for saying that once again.

"Well where else would you go?" Ron's brows were furrowed as he lowered his voice. 

Draco shrugged:

"I don't know, France probably." 

"You _do_ realize that half of Voldemort's cohort is hunting you right? Surely you're not stupid enough to think you could skip country all willy nilly." Ron pointed out, looking very put out. 

Draco opened his mouth, then closed it, having no argument to brook in return. It didn't sit right with him to just insert himself into this family's lives, but Ron did have a fair point too.

"Yes, but I don't think I should stay here regardless." He tried again and Ron rolled his eyes and turned to the rest of the room, still fussing around. He spoke loudly and grabbed everyone's attention:

"This idiot behind me thinks he shouldn't spend the rest of summer until school here with us. Let's take a show of hands on it. Those who think he should stay, raise your hands."

And pretty much all of them, Ron included, raised their hands.

Draco flushed down his neck. This was so out of place it was bordering on a fever dream.

"Listen here Draco, you brought Harry back alive and in one piece, the least we can do in return is host you for a bit." Molly reasoned.

"It wasn't only me, Mrs.Weasley." Draco pointed out, but she didn't let up, so he sighed and gave up the battle.

You win some, you lose some, that's life eh?

~

Things decidedly _changed_ since Harry awoke and healed up enough to start getting out of bed more. 

Draco couldn't tell _what_ it was, but he found that something felt different whenever Harry was in the room too. He seemed to be the only one to feel that way, as everyone else continued on as normal.

It was just...Harry would walk in, and Draco would clam up for no reason at all. He'd start feeling all shy and fluttery and there was no rational explanation for any of it.

Harry was different too.

He wouldn't really tell anyone what happened to him at the Manor, which worried Draco for several reasons, none of which were good.

He appeared worn and tired, and if Draco wasn't spending all his time staring at him, he wagered a guess he wouldn't of even noticed anything was amiss.

On the bright side, he was eating well and laughing, but it didn't appear as though he was sleeping much. 

Draco had no idea what gives, until he woke up one night to go to the loo and walked past Harry's room, only to hear whimpering and rustling from inside.

Draco paused, worrying his lip for a second. Was he okay in there? Did Draco have any right to intrude?

There was a choked sob from behind the door, and the blonde grabbed the knob with a flutter in his heartbeat and twisted it, slipping inside quietly.

He had to blink a few times in the darkness of the room, but after a moment he managed to make out the shape of the bed and the thrashing, whimpering lump that was Harry on top of it.

Draco approached and stared down at him for a moment. He seemed to be having an intense nightmare by the looks of it. 

"Potter?" Draco murmured. "..Harry?" He tried again, a bit louder. 

There was no response.

Right then.

The blonde grabbed Harry's shoulder and shook him roughly, yanking him back and forth until Harry cried out on a half breath and sat up, blinking rapidly.

"Potter?" Draco called again and Harry flinched before seemingly recognizing who was with him and relaxed once more.

"..Did I wake you?" Harry mumbled.

"No..er, are you..okay?" Draco flushed, though Harry couldn't see it in the darkness. He just felt so stiff and awkward around Harry—every word sounded _wrong_ for some reason.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream." Harry reassured, but his voice was trembling.

"Do you...want to talk about it?" Draco tentatively sat down on the bed.

Harry reached for his wand and glasses, staying silent.

"In the Manor...they.." He trailed off.

Draco's heart sank low. What...what did they do to him there?

"Grayback..he showed me.." Harry tried again, his voice cracked.

Draco was just about to open his mouth and inform Harry he didn't need to say anything if he didn't want to, but Harry soldiered on:

"He showed me the severed heads of my parents."

The world screeched to a fucking halt around Draco. He couldn't even begin to process what he'd just been told, the scope of horror couldn't filter through his head. 

"Please say something.." Harry's furtive voice snapped him out of the numb shock that'd consumed him.

"I..I..Harry..I'm so..I'm so sorry—" The words spilled before he could consider them. "That's—I can't even _imagine—_ What the actual fuck—"

Harry's humorless snort cut off Draco's rambling:

"It's fine. It's not your fault."

But it _was._

If Draco hadn't gone to him, he'd have never had to go through any of this. 

"Malfoy. Draco. It's not your fault." Harry affirmed, as if he'd read Draco's mind.

"But—" The blonde tried, but Harry hit him lightly on the shoulder:

"No. It was my choice to come with you. It was my idea to turn myself in. None of it is your fault."

Draco pressed his lips in a thin line, said nothing more of it, though he couldn't quite say he was entirely convinced. He felt uncomfortable sitting there, as if he was intruding upon Harry's privacy, felt horrified down to his bones about what Harry had told him, and didn't know how to comfort Harry, or whether he had any right to do so. These days, Draco wasn't sure of anything really. 

Everything he thought he knew about these people turned out to be sorely wrong, and they'd so readily welcomed him and forgave him for bullying them and hurting them, that he felt wrong footed.

Being friends with Harry Potter would have made him scoff a mere week ago.

Draco shook his head. It was best he left now, he'd been loitering around for far too long anyways.

Just as he stood up, Harry's quiet plea stopped him:

"Stay. Can you? I don't want to be alone..." 

Hearing that made his heart clench with the strangest of longings, and Draco found himself helpless but to slowly nod and sit back down. Harry scooted closer to the wall and pulled the blankets back for Draco to slide in.

Even as he did so, it felt so unreal that he was in the _Burrow_ , sharing a _bed_ with _Harry Potter._ It felt unreal, and there was something else there too, though Draco didn't get much time to ponder it as Harry curled up next to him and slowly drifted off to sleep.

There were a couple inches of space between them, a distance Draco had grown uncomfortably aware of uncomfortably quickly as he attempted to fall asleep too.

~

After that night, the days seemed to melt by seamlessly, slowly bleeding into months until the day came they were all boarding the Hogwarts Express to head back to their school and start their 6th year. 

Draco had practically been adopted into the Weasley family by that point, and had managed to get in contact with his own parents in France, and overall, life was good.

What was not good, however, was the fact he _still_ felt cockwombly around Harry—even though they were friends now. They were _all_ friends, which was a thought Draco never thought he'd be thinking, but it seemed that life could be a funny thing sometimes. He didn't particularly mind though.

When they boarded the train, Draco was enveloped in a crushing hug and it had taken him a moment to recognize Pansy.

He smiled and patted her back before she drew away. 

"Draco, darling! I've missed you, how's your summer been?"

 _Wild._ He wanted to tell her.

Her smile faded, however, when she saw the Golden Trio behind him:

"What's up with.... _that?"_

She quietly muttered, pointing a distracted hand at the four of them.

Draco suddenly found himself feeling shy:

"Well, we're kind of...friends..now..?"

Ron slapped him on the back far more forcefully than was strictly necessary and grinned wide at a bewildered Pansy:

"You bet your scrawny blonde arse we are."

Pansy gaped. There was no other way to describe her slack expression:

"How—When—" She murmured.

"Two epic rescue missions tend to do that to people." Harry shrugged. 

Poor Pansy looked even more confused now, her beseeching eyes turned back to Draco:

"You're telling me _everything_ or so help me—" And she grabbed his arm and tugged him away.

"Good luck!" Hermione yelled after them and Draco barely managed to splutter as Pansy ruthlessly dragged him off.

~

Halfway through the train ride, Harry was dozing off, embarrassed to admit he already missed Draco's company and that he didn't feel like interacting with others much without him.

His mindless doze had been interrupted when the compartment doors swung open and in stumbled Pansy and Draco, all the while Draco attempting to convince her to not do something she had already decided she would.

Harry lifted his head to see what's up, and swallowed when Pansy stood over him, hands poised on her hips.

"Am I in trouble?" He immediately asked.

Pansy snorted and reached out to pat his head.

"No Potter." She assured, and Harry was really dumbstruck by everything. "Thank you, for helping him." She nodded and stepped away.

In the next moment she was gone, the door shut behind her.

"She pat me on the head." Harry murmured, still reeling. "I've never been pat on the head before. Like a crup." 

"To be fair, you do resemble one." Draco drawled and sat down next to him. He reached over and ruffled Harry's hair.

Harry's cheeks tinted, then he snorted and gently elbowed him:

"Want to say that again, oh amazing bouncing ferret?"

Draco mock scowled at him:

"I'll have you know that was extremely _traumatizing_ and--"

"Yes, yes, woe is you, hippogriffs are evil, ferrets are traumatizing, boohoo." Ron waved him off carelessly and Harry could see Draco sputtering in indignation as he flushed a pretty red.

"Your father will hear about this, yes we know." Hermione winked and chuckled as Draco plain just gave up and began to petulently pout.

Harry was awed by the sight for an unfathomable reason.

"Prats. All of you." He muttered as he crossed his arms across his chest and sat back.

~

Draco was glad to be back to Hogwarts. It gave his days a bit of much needed structure. Especially when the entire school seemed aghast and suspicious of his friendship with the Golden Trio. It was annoying on one hand, but he could understand on the other.

Speaking of said friendship, that too, was turning out to be a nuisance, mostly because he was starting to suspect that being _friends_ with Harry wasn't enough for him.

Which is ridiculous and stupid.

But Harry was so infuriatingly attractive...

Therein lie the crux of Draco's issue.

~

As the weeks progressed, Draco's stomach churned when the very real realization he had fallen for Harry Potter sunk in bit by bit. At first he'd rationalized it away, but as Harry smiled at him more and laughed with him more and spent more time with him, rationale was crumbling and falling apart rapidly, giving way to butterflies and heartburn and all the other _disgusting_ things that loving someone came with.

How the bloody fuck had Draco gone from hating him to loving him in the span of a few short months?

Though he supposed he had never really hated him...

That was besides the _current problem._

The current problem was that Harry's glasses were sliding off his nose as he poured over a textbook in the library, and his eyes were _green_ and his hair was messy—Draco couldn't stop fucking staring.

It was mesmerizing.

He could feel Ronald giving him _a look_ , but every time Draco glanced away his eyes would wander back to Harry of their own accord, the treacherous things.

Finally, Ron leaned over and elbowed him to get his attention. Draco was grateful to be distracted, if for a little while. He turned to face a smirking Ronald Weasley, which was a look that simply didn't _work._

"Really Malfoy?" Ronald drawled and Draco immediately scowled while a deep flush overcame him.

"Oh you've just been waiting to throw that back in my face, haven't you?" 

Ron nodded, the smug shit:

"Why, of course. It felt _so_ good." Then Ron's brow furrowed. "Seriously though, really?"

The blonde sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose:

"Yes...." He murmured through gritted teeth.

Ron's face was a _picture._ He went bug eyed and slack jawed, then he recomposed himself and appeared thoughtful for a moment, before shrugging and nodding to himself:

"Yeah, alright, makes sense."

Draco stared at him. 

"You climbed a _tree."_ Ron pointed out and Draco scoffed, though immediately conceded the point, albeit grudgingly:

"Touche."

~

Harry was concerned. Ron had done a whole lot of staring at him these past few weeks, and he couldn't puzzle out why. Just the same, Draco had been persistently staring at Hermione a lot lately, and she, too, was worried like Harry was.

"Do you think they're alright?" Hermione muttered to Harry one day when they slipped away to the library without Draco and Ron.

"I don't know. Ron's been staring at me with this apprehension on his face?" Harry bit his lip, unable to figure out what had gotten into Ron.

"Yeah, Draco's been the same. He keeps staring at me as if I'll figure out all of his secrets and yell them to the rest of the Wizarding World any moment now? What's that all about?"

"Right?!" Harry fervently agreed as they sat together on the window seat and huddled closer to work on this new mystery.

"Do you reckon..they might be hiding something?" Hermione grimaced as she said that, as if the thought did not sit well with her stomach at all.

"Perhaps? But why? We wouldn't take the piss out of them for anything.." Harry mused, heart clenching tightly at the thought that Draco didn't trust him and felt the need to hide something.

"Yeah I know. As unbelievable as what I'm about to say may sound, Draco turns out to be an amazing friend. I don't want to muck it up." Hermione hummed in agreement. Her brow was furrowed as she carefully plucked through the past few weeks and considered everything.

"Harry..." She started cautiously. "Do...do you think the two of them might..might _like_ the two of us? As in _like like._ "

Harry choked on air at the question. He started to choke and Hermione pat him on the back to get it all out.

"What? What makes you say _that?"_ Harry demanded in a scratchy voice.

"Think about it! Draco fidgets around me, he's jumpy and sort of defensive and vague. He stares at me _all_ the time. Those are classic symptoms of having a crush—"

"But 'Mione, that would mean Ron... _liked..._ me..." Harry grimaced. That wasn't possible, because Harry knew for a _fact_ that Ron had been crazy about Hermione for a while now.

"Alright, fair, you have a point there, but it's something worth considering. He's been acting awfully buddy-buddy with you lately hasn't he? It's possible he might be harboring a bit of a crush."

Harry swallowed thickly. Ron _had_ been extremely touchy-feely lately, much more so than before....

Maybe Hermione was onto something, though the thought made him shiver.

This could end up catastrophic for their friendships.

"Okay, okay...What are we going to do about it?" Harry muttered in a small voice. Hermione nodded determinedly:

"We're going to observe them a _lot_ more carefully than we did before, and see what comes of it."

~

"Ronald, do you think they're onto us?" Draco whisper yelled while he and Ron were flying around the Quidditch pitch, practicing for an upcoming game.

"I think at this point it's actually possible." Ron straightened up and aligned himself with Draco, so they could talk. "They've been staring and observing us with that _i'm-trying-to-figure-out-all-your-secrets_ expressions a whole lot lately."

"Yes, that's what scares me. If Hermione figures it out, I'm well and truly screwed." Draco's face scrunched up as if he'd sucked on a lemon. He'd been doing his best to appear as inconspicuous as possible around her, but she was a damn smart one.

"I understand. Harry's a proper twat when he latches onto something to take the piss out of." Ron nodded solemnly.

"What are we going to do about it?" Draco asked, feeling the need to do _something_ , to make sure his stupid crush remained concealed.

"At this point, I don't reckon there's anything we _can_ do. We'll just have to stay on our guard, I suppose." Ronald shrugged with one shoulder, and steeped into a dive.

Draco didn't like it, but Ron had a point, so he just mutely nodded and agreed to the plan.

~

Even more weeks passed of the school year and school had really started intensifying, however Harry and Hermione spent a lot of their downtime from studying studying Ron and Draco.

Because of all of the stari— _observing,_ as Hermione had insisted it be called, Harry had come to realize he felt a constant urge to kiss Draco. That was not good.

"Mione, I think we should stop this." Harry whispered to her one evening in the common room. 

"Why?" Hermione turned to him with a confused glint in her eyes.

Harry didn't know how to explain the hurt of realizing he'd been harboring these feelings for Draco for a while now, while Draco might be harboring feelings for his best friend.

"I..I _like like_ Draco." He spoke slowly, testing out the phrase on his tongue. It felt so cathartic to finally say it out loud, to tell someone.

Hermione lifted both her brows, though she didn't seem all that shocked:

"Alright..." She answered, drawing the word out. "Is that why you want to stop?" 

Harry sighed and curled up tighter:

"I guess? If he actually likes _you_ , I don't really want to...yknow... _know_ that."

Hermione smiled softly and placed a hand on Harry's arm:

"It's alright Harry. I suppose it _is_ high time the four of us sat down and had a chat about it anyways."

~

When Hermione informed him and Ron they all needed to _have a talk_ , Draco's blood had run cold.

That was _it,_ she knew, he was _fucked._

Looking at Ronald's facial expression, he felt about the same.

The two of them followed her to the library on wooden legs, not saying a word on the way. 

When they arrived Harry was already there, and Draco felt sick all over again. Hermione sat them all down and took the seat next to Harry, facing Draco and Ron with a facial expression so serious, Draco was worried that she'd tell them that Voldemort has infiltrated Hogwarts for a moment.

"So guys.." She started and cleared her throat. "Me and Harry have noticed that something's been off with you two lately..."

"What?" Ronald's brow furrowed, and Draco had equally no idea what she was on about.

"It's just that..you two have been acting very odd around us lately, and..we think that..maybe, the two of you have..have crushes on the two of us.." Hermione forced out, looking rather put out at having said it.

Draco's heart dropped into his shoes. 

_Oh fuck—_

He glanced at Ron, who'd gone equally as pale and shifty.

"We're not really sure who likes who, but we have...a _theory.."_ Harry continued in a small voice.

"Let's...hear it then.." Ronald braved the silence, like a true proper Gryffindor.

Harry took a deep breath and chuckled nervously:

"We think that Draco might...might like Hermione and Ron..me.." He cringed at the words. "That's ridiculous, because I know for a _fact_ Ron likes someone else, but Hermione's rather sure of it."

Draco stilled. He slowly turned to Ron, who was already facing him.

They...they thought...

Draco's mouth twitched as he and Ron came to the same conclusion.

And all it took was another second for the two of them to burst into loud, raucous laughter.

Oh sweet _Merlin,_ they actually honest-to-God thought—

Hermione and Harry were looking rather relieved upon realizing that Draco and Ron were laughing, and waited them out.

"I can not explain to you _just_ how _wrong_ you are—" Draco managed between wheezes.

"So, _so_ wrong. So incredibly wrong—" Ron nodded vigorously, as he gasped in a deep breath.

"Oh we are? Oh that's good—I'm so glad we're wrong—" Harry exhaled long and loud, smiling wide for some reason, looking immensely relieved.

Hermione on the other hand, seemed to have already picked her next battle:

"Alright, that's settled then. What's up with all the staring and fidgeting?" 

Draco and Ron stopped laughing immediately.

"Oh, nothing." Draco waved her question away. "There's nothing _up_ with it." He kicked Ron under the table to get him to affirm it.

"Ow—I mean—Yeah, yeah, nothing's up. At all." He amended and Draco wanted to strangle him. That was about as smooth as Binns's teaching, but they'd have to roll with it.

It wasn't that Draco didn't trust Hermione to keep her mouth shut, but...he didn't trust her to keep her mouth shut. She'd get all determined and righteous to resolve it and would probably end up doing something mortifying and he just...couldn't deal with that.

Besides Harry wouldn't be interested in him, and Draco rather fancied keeping him at least as a friend. He'd learned to take what he could get.

Hermione leaned forwards on the table, deep in thought. She began muttering under her breath, thinking aloud, though they could hear her:

"Draco doesn't like me like that, but he's been staring and shifty with me, which only leaves the option that he might be hiding something he doesn't want me to figure out...now what could that be..hm..."

Draco really wished she'd shut up.

"..Come to think of it..he's been staring at Harry a lot more, though he's been doing that since we were eleven so I guess that's why it took me so long to notice...Pair that with the rest of the story and.... _OH."_

She looked up at Draco, who was staring right back, well, gaping rather.

"Oh my _God—"_ She murmured, glancing between Harry and Draco for a moment.

"Okay, _fine,_ you got me, will you please keep your mouth shut?" Draco scowled, backed into a corner he could not weasel himself out of. No pun intended. He glanced at Harry and found him to be looking sufficiently confounded. That was until:

"...Which means...that he doesn't like _you,_ 'Mione, rather, he likes.... _me..."_ Harry's voice was so small when he spoke the others almost didn't hear him.

"Well _shit."_ Draco groaned, a great big wave of _ohfuckfuckfuck_ crashing over him.

Ron patted his shoulder sympathetically, though he knew better than to say anything.

"When did you grow so smart?" Hermione smirked at Harry, chuckling softly.

"Hey! I have my moments." Harry snickered, then cleared his throat. "Well this all works out very well really." He was smiling brightly.

Draco only managed to arch an eyebrow, though he couldn't quite meet Harry's eyes, opting to look somewhere off his left shoulder.

"I like Draco, he likes me, yeah, I'd say it's alright." Harry nodded as he spoke.

Draco stopped. 

"Come again?" He choked out, voice an octave higher than it was supposed to be.

Harry smiled fondly:

"You heard me."

It was only then that Harry's words well and truly penetrated Draco's mind, and he found himself unable to breathe as a rush of every emotion conceivable to mankind and then some battled for dominance. 

He blinked a couple of times and took a few deep breaths to get his galloping heart under control before he was able to speak again:

"Yeah, but I figure I could've been hallucinating from Potion fumes."

Harry threw his head back and laughed merrily:

"You weren't."

"Wait, wait, _wait!_ If Draco actually likes Harry, then that means that Ron likes..." Hermione trailed off. "That he likes _me..."_ She reverently whispered and directed a serene smile at a flushed Ronald.

His face was as red as his hair:

"Well I—I—I—I mean—Well—It's—Like—" He started to sputter and wave his hands around in his embarrassment, but Hermione only quietly chuckled and reached over to grab his hand and intertwine their fingers.

He cut off mid splutter, and stared down at their hands, then looked at Hermione, who was all but glowing, her eyes beaming at him.

He smiled right back.

~

"This has actually happened..." Ronald muttered for the 1000th time over an hour later, while they all fluttered around each other happily, grinning like absolute fools.

They were scaring the children, and couldn't care less.

"Yes, Ronald, do keep up." Draco drawled goodnaturedly, his barb losing any and all sting because of his wide grin as he delivered it.

"Oh you're one to talk _Mr.I—Thought—I—Was—Hallucinating—On—Potion—Fumes."_ Ron shot back, nudging Draco with his shoulder when the blonde huffed and rolled his eyes. 

_"Please,_ you're the one that ran away when Hermione wore that Muggle shirt and jeens combination instead of school robes like usual." Draco snipped, pouting.

Ron gasped in utter betrayal:

"You _climbed a tree."_ Ron shook a fist as he spoke. "You _folded up an origami crane, charmed it to fly then blew it to Harry like a kiss! Like a kiss!"_

Oooh, Ron had him there, Harry had to admit.

It was incredible how he'd never noticed until that very moment how blatant all of it was.

Draco scowled, but his lips were twitching:

"I had to sit there and listen to you _moan_ on and on about how beautiful Hermione's hair is—"

Ron threw both his arms out:

"As if you didn't go on for _two bloody hours_ about the _exact_ shade of green Harry's eyes are, jade with golden-brown rims around the pupils is the conclusion he came to by the way, and outright _admitted_ that for how much crap you talked about his hair, you'd kill anyone who tried to change it, including Harry himself—"

"You came _squealing_ to me about how Hermione smiled your way longer than usual, and how that _must_ mean something—"

Harry bore an extremely amused grin and leaned over to Hermione:

"Should we break them up?" He whispered to her with an airy chortle.

She shook her head fondly:

"Definitely, they'll go on like this for _hours_ if we don't do something."

Harry hummed in agreement, because really, they will.

He shifted closer to Draco, who didn't notice him, occupied as he was. Harry leaned in and pressed a kiss to Draco's cheek:

"Shut up, Draco." He softly chided.

Draco clammed up quicker than Harry could draw a breath.

"Yes, Harry." He blurted quietly, and Harry scrunched his nose and chuckled. Merlin, he was whipped, but Draco was absolutely adorable when flustered, so who could honestly blame him?

Ron had also fallen suspiciously silent, and when Harry looked over, he found it was because Hermione had grabbed his hand and laid her head on his shoulder, burrowing her face into the crook of his neck.

Looking at them all now, Harry was _really_ glad Draco had woken him up at 3:07 am that night so long ago.

~

_Fin._

**Author's Note:**

> i gift this fic to my best friends just cuz they're awesome and deserve all the gifts and happinessss :33
> 
> Find more on my [Tumblr](https://missdrarrydawn.tumblr.com/)


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